Dolls

Spirit Hunter NG, released Oct. 10, 2019, developed by Experience, Ghostlight LTD, and published by Aksys Games, is a sequel to the horror visual novel Spirit Hunter: Death Mark. The game is available on Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, and Nintendo Switch. I am surprised horror fans aren’t talking about it. The lack of word-of-mouth testimonies is the cause for this game not receiving more publicity. So as a horror game enthusiast, I am here to promote and tell you about a visual novel horror game I enjoyed playing in 2019! In my humble opinion, I enjoyed it more than The House in Fata Morgana, which is also a decent visual novel game with great original soundtrack.

at the bar--the hub — *If you like ASMR videos, the sound and the visuals in this game can be quite relaxing, especially at an empty bar.*

This game is thematically refreshing for a horror visual novel that takes place during hot summer nights, although I first played this game during cooler months. I remember sitting at my desk at work and one of the horror scenes from the game popped into my head. It made me chuckle. My co-worker, an older gentleman asked me what was so funny and asked me if I minded sharing. I tried to explain to him but it didn’t come out right. He looked puzzled. I suppose I can’t explain my morbid sense of humor, but the game developer knows its targeted audience all too well when it subtly brings up the subject to the audience.

Seji criticizing horror fans — *I think the humor is exclusively meant for females like myself who enjoy a good suspenseful, horror mystery.* *Some of us are just weird like that.*

Story

The story follows a “muscle-freak” (borrowing the description from the game) teenage boy by the name of Akira Kijima who happens to be adopted by his aunt, a popular horror novelist who owns a bar as a side job. One day, an evil doll kidnaps his precious, beloved niece. So he finds himself playing a strange game with an evil entity that involves destroying and/or purifying spirits. Along the way, Kijima the devout uncle is accompanied by his good friend Seiji Amanome, a member of the Yakuza, and Momo Kuruse, a gothic pop idol to search for his niece’s mysterious disappearance. Later down the road, he meets older and more professional folks: a gambler, a female cop, and a ghost hunter. The variety of ages and professional backgrounds balanced out the story quite well. There are times when the side characters poke fun at Kijima’s bravery and youthfulness for stupidity, which to the contrary, he has a reason for being. As the story progresses, I find the protagonist quite sympathetic which gives him all the more reason to reunite with his kidnapped niece. I like horror, but I also like rewarding, strong endings. Of course, that’s not the only reason why I enjoyed the game. What intrigued me about this game is the villain, the eternal doll who wants to play and who does not always play fairly. The doll character had such an impact on me that I composed an original song based on it. I still sing the song to this day. That’s what you call a great piece of art when it becomes the source of creative inspiration.

Gameplay

Now let’s talk about gameplay. Is it fun? Is it scary? Well, yes to both questions but it’s not going to give you nightmares. It’s not that immersive type of horror but more like a thematic haunted house ride, you’d find at the fairground. You know the feeling of walking inside a haunted house, hoping for a good fright? Yes, the game allows the player the option to select Scary Mode for those who want a jump scare experience. I selected Default Mode because I wanted to enjoy the game in its original form. Even without the additional scary factor, the story’s chilling tale combined with memorable soundtracks would strike a chord with any woman out there who is often accompanied alone. In every woman, there is a little girl that lives inside of her. Girls love fairytales because real life is rarely happy ever after. So, stay away from male doctors! Oops, did I say too much? Well, I hope I entice you rather than dissuade you from playing the game. Overall, it was a fun adventurous, horror game. I played the game with a guide to save time because, like most games with multiple endings, there is a true ending.

Conclusion

For horror fans, this is a game worth playing. Add to your collection of horror games to play because horror is a genre that is difficult to execute in video games. So, it’s nice to find a piece of gem. The only thing I didn’t enjoy was the slightly erotic graphic pictures of tortured women. Why was it necessary? It’s a mystery to me. There are some things in life I simply can never understand.

Originally published on June 28, 2021 12:00 am; revised October 26, 2023

Some years ago, I spent a lot of time reading people’s blog posts about this anime. People said it left them with teary eyes and recommended those to watch it with a tissue box. It’s just that emotional. Not only that a friend from work told me how good the show is stating how beautiful the animation was, it reminded her of Japan’s countryside. But more importantly, the show revolves around the strongest emotion: love. What do I love you mean? Violet became a part of the Auto Memory Doll, writing letters to help express people’s innermost emotions so she could understand Major Gilbert’s last words to her. (Hmm…how poetic. My very own father used to write love letters as a side job.) So out of curiosity, I caved in and watched the anime but never bother to write a review until now–simply because I wasn’t impressed as I thought I would be. More than anything though, I felt it was hyped.

Before I start with my little annoyance towards this anime, I do want to mention that this anime is eloquent and poetic. It uses dolls to convey a certain message of perfection. They are perfectly hollow, perfectly beautiful, and expressionless. But more prominently, they show no emotions on their face. Her discovering the phrase, “I love you” through writing letters for Auto Memory Doll, helped her come to terms with her human qualities and her emotions towards Major Gilbert, the man who is always on her mind. Violet Evergarden is a story about becoming human. It’s a beautiful concept. And yet, I am not impressed. What’s the deal with this anime? Why is it so emotional to some people? And why didn’t it sit well with me? Am I as lifeless as Violet that I might need to enroll in a writing course that will help me explore my feelings? Did my bias get in the way of appreciating this anime? I learned it’s not the case.

It’s the way how the story is presented. It’s theatrically unnatural in a way where it doesn’t flow well. I love symbolism but this one sticks out like a sore thumb. Violet is purposely made to be doll-like to indicate how precious she is to the Major. At the same time, her doll-like features subtly imply to the audience how contradicting her “true” nature is to her innocent appearance. I kept thinking should I sympathize with this character? Time again and again through flashbacks, she is mentioned as being a war tool–a killer who killed people without remorse, entirely devoted to the Major. She was the perfect soldier. Despite being human, she shows no sign of having any desires of her own other than to find out what “I love you” mean (I am beginning to sound like a broken record in this post because that’s exactly what is wrong with this anime. How many times I have said Violet needs to find out what “I LOVE YOU” mean?!). How could she not understand her own emotions? It just doesn’t add up.

When so many people start googling the following, it just shows how misleading the character Violet is:

So I will answer the highlighted question above. Violet is human, but she is uninterestingly robotic. To make her relatable character, she is made into one size fits all. And so this brought me to conclude why so many enjoyed this anime. They enjoyed discovering their own hidden emotions through Violet. Like Violet, most of us don’t really understand what we feel, and most often, we are not entirely honest with ourselves and with others or know our life’s purpose. Many of us are just moldable obedient dolls to society at no fault (Ouch it sounds rather harsh, but it’s just my opinion.).

To summarize this anime series, it really is just an anime about reading between the lines. Violet has to learn how to read people which is why I think she is a relatable character to many. After all, humans are complicated. Miscommunication often happens when we fail to express ourselves properly. People tend to hide their true feelings behind words and so that’s where Dolls come into play. They are refined and eloquent in mannerisms and speech. They are perfect people and perfect people are kind of scary if you ask me.

As for my final thought, one positive thing I got out of this anime is that I could learn a few tips and tricks from Auto Memory Doll. I know some of my reviews can be blunt. The last thing I want to do is offend some poor soul out there. But on second thought, that’d kill my voice. I don’t get paid to write flowery words; I write with honesty. It’s just the critic in me. Overall, Violet Evergarden is decent, but not great. There was not one single teardrop coming from me.